Window Shopper

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Have you looked out in the stratosphere and checked out the after Christmas sales? I have to admit that I am a tad ignorant about it but from what I have seen, there really are not that many, at least in our area. Of course, we live in outer nowhere at all, so it’s probably just where we live.

Frankly, I am getting a bit tired of the things we miss because of where we live. It is a trade off for us. We get the more tranquil rural setting but we do not get great educational systems. We have the big Wally but the other store in the area is pretty lame too. Yes, Wally is really lame where we live. Talk about preferential treatment. We do not get it here. For instance, if you like some new product, don’t expect to see it for long. BAH!!

So, are there any really good sales going on anywhere? I would love to know about them. If there are, are they online? What’s the url? Yes, I am nosy. LOL!

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For years, I have heard some pretty strange and weird phrases and words. Some are as old as I am. Others I have seen or heard in the last very few years. Sometimes people put the strangest things together or have words that I think they made up!

See, I know there are words that I have no clue about…like peptides. Not a clue. And then there is “SNAP!” Does that make any kind of sense? I think it means that something is really good. Jackalope? That one is totally strange since there is no such animal but there are rumors. How about mesothelioma lawyer? Saw that one recently. Not a clue at all. There are sayings and phrases that make no sense to me either like “I know, right?” What is that all about? Of course, there is the ever popular “Dude” and “WORD”. What do these things mean??? Since I am not totally stupid, I sort of get what they mean but really. And where on earth does it become necessary to say the word “like” as every other word in a sentence??? Like, I thought it was strange to say like in a sentence that really, like, has no point, like, to it at all. Like, you know what I mean?

Perhaps I have buried my head too far into the sand to get these things. Very little about today’s speech makes sense to me anyway. And for what it’s worth, I do not think I am that old either.

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This particular post has nothing to do with buying anything, at least right here. But it has everything to do with the big bully google and what it is about to do to bloggers who, for whatever reason, have not complied with a terms of service that none of us agreed to with google. See, google wants to run the net. Google wants to get bloggers and website owners to comply with their orders. The funny thing is that those of us who did not sign up to be bullied by them are getting spanked and then delisted by them. Do you know why they are doing this?

Glad you asked. This goes back to the paid to post companies that hire people who have blogs to write posts and reviews for them. When the blogger contracts to do that and writes the post, they get paid a certain amount of money. Now, in the meanwhile, google is getting people to put icons and widgets on their blogs in order to make money. The blogger keeps the widget there and when someone clicks on it, they can get paid…very small amounts and not paid until a certain amount is reached. Those programs are called adsense and adwords. They belong to google.

So, what’s the problem, right? Well, seems that google is not happy to have only some of the money pie. They want it all. The companies that hire the bloggers sometimes use the google page rank to qualify bloggers to work for them. Most of the companies did this for quite a while. Since google feels it’s power now, they decided to change things by dropping the page rank to an unacceptable level for the companies so that they would fire the bloggers who are no longer qualified.

In the meanwhile, google expects the blogger to come, hat in hand, admit that they did wrong and beg to get back in the good graces of the big bully google. If that does not happen by the time they want it, google will delist the blogs involved. When that happens, they will get what they want, to destroy the blogger’s income.

Here’s the punchline. The bloggers who do this paid to post blogging are, for the most part, in need of the cash that they get from these posts. Usually, they are women at home taking care of kids, grandpas and grandmas trying to make a buck to supplement their incredibly puny social security checks, disabled folks, young people who have no other income, people who do not want to end up homeless. Does google care that they are doing this to people? NO! They do not. All they care about is that someone is cutting into their money pie.

If google must strike anyone, it’s about time they decided to hit the major companies instead of the little guys. Why don’t they? Because the big guys will slam them so hard, they won’t know which way is up. But the little guys are not strong enough to fight the big bad bully google…alone. Now it’s time for bloggers to rise up and resist the google bully. Tell google how you feel. Do not be afraid of their tactics. That’s what it’s all about…fear. If they can get you afraid of them enough, they win…you lose. Of course, the blogger pretty much loses anyway because this fight is really between the big bully and the big companies.

Take the time to put in your two cents here in the comments field or in your own blog and link back to this one. It’s time to let google know that we will not take these bullying tactics without a fight.

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Now that I am older, I do not have to spend as much time in the bathroom in front of the mirror putting on makeup or trying to do so. There were times when I thought that the makeup itself was out to get me. A confession needs to be inserted here. I was never very good at putting on makeup anyway. Maybe if I had bought more makeup mirrors, had them in my room, in my purse as well as the bathroom, I would have done better but I doubt it. It just was not in me to have a load of makeup on my face to start with.

Growing up, I was not allowed to have makeup on until I was seventeen. That sounds excessive these days but back in the dark ages (the 60s), it was more appropriate to wait until a person started to grow up a bit before having all those so-called adult things. The makeup was only allowed at special functions like dances and dates. And I was okay with that. It was a different time.

Currently, I could care less if I have on makeup. YEAH!!! I’m free, I’m free. And I realize that women everywhere are asking themselves “what is wrong with that woman??” and my answer would be that I never really liked all that stuff on my face so I rarely used any of it. Please do not comment here what a heathen I am, please. I think women with makeup on are beautiful. I just don’t want to spend the money on that anymore.

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This is a beautiful day to stop the shopping and just think about family and friends, enjoying each so much. Maybe your day is not this great but I do know that you can find something to give thanks for, even if only that you are reading this post because that means you are breathing.

One thing that has bugged me is that I believe in giving thanks every day but most people only think about this at Thanksgiving and Christmas. And when I was a kid, I thought everyone had Thanksgiving. When I found out that most countries did not celebrate it, it turned into a sad day because I believed that if you did not have such a day, when would you give thanks for the things you had?

We all grow up…well most of us do….eventually. Now, I do realize that most countries do not celebrate this wonderful day. However, you can give thanks for each and every day you are alive. That’s what I do. So, today, when everyone is sitting around the table, instead of thinking of the day that all the sales are happening, focus on those things and people that are in your life and give thanks that they love you and that you love them!! It truly is a blessed day.

Then tomorrow, you can get up with the chickens and go shop your socks off. (socks on aisle five)

Happy Thanksgiving and may your day be richly blessed from Window Shopper!! And once more: Happy Shopping tomorrow!!!

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What is it like for you when a bad day shows up? For me, it’s the phone ringing thirty times a day, usually at supper time, during a particularly good movie, nap time…yes, I love naps, cats with kitty-tude..both at once, dog leaving a green cloud all over the house, machines that will not work as promised, machines that will not work that did not promise, the one thing that you need for the meal wasn’t bought and on and on it goes. There is no end to this. In fact, ever hear the song that never ends? Well, this is the bad hair day that never ends. *groan*

Am I a cartoon character here? The song in the title is in my mind. I feel like I have little balloons above my head (you know, the cartoon kind) saying things like..”why don’t you take me on a sea cruise”? What? On the royal caribbean, I suppose? Or “take me away to the happy farm with trees and flowers…they’re coming to take me away, ha ha, he he, to the funny farm” OR “raindrops keep falling on my head”. Sigh. The day just gets better and better, doesn’t it.

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In case you have not been around my blog for a while, I am an ex over-the-road trucker. Have I got stories to tell about that. It was 8 1/2 years of driving a semi truck down the road, never really knowing what was around the next curve. Sometimes, it was a big surprise and not always pleasant.

The one thing that a driver could actually fear is the semi truck accident. Oh, I had a couple of benders in a parking lot, but what I am talking about are the ones that will take away your carreer and it can happen in a heartbeat. One minute, you’re cruising down the road, minding your own business, and the next thing you know, the world is upside down. Cars are screeching to a halt all around. Your only hope now is that no one got killed. It happens.

If you drive a truck, PLEASE watch out for the other guy, no matter how stupidly they drive.

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We have lived in this area of Arkansas, the Ozarks, for almost 10 years. In all that time, we have only had a few really cold winters. But I have to tell you that when we do, they are extremely cold. Now, I do realize that to those who live way up north, this isn’t terribly cold. But to those of us who are not used to cold, it’s bitterly cold at times.

One of these days, because of the impending cold weather, I am going to bring out our jackets to take a look at them and hope that they will do for the winter. Unfortunately, they will be sadly lacking in the bulky, incredibly warm jackets they need to be. Anyone with an ounce of sense would get one of those North Face jackets, right? Well, maybe some day, we can do that but for now, we get to drag out the jackets we’ve had for a couple of years and make do one more time. Maybe soon, we can actually win a contest or something!

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I took my niece and my Mom to the doctor today. My niece had hurt her knee at school walking up 5 flights of stairs. The school was good enough to take her to the clinic in town where she had a set of xrays that showed she had a small tear in her muscle and a small amount of fluid leaking.

Now, this girl was hurting so badly that she was unable to think of anything else except that. When she went to the nurse’s office to get the pain meds that were prescribed to my niece, the nurse decided that she had gotten sick from them and refused to hand them to her. Of course, she called home. Her mother was furious with the nurse. I certainly do not blame her for that. Instead of helping, the nurse gave my niece some crutches that were not adjusted to her height and told her to walk around the room with them. This made the knee and her underarms hurt even more. She left the nurse’s office and called home immediately. My niece was able to take time off from her classes today to come home and see the doctor. She goes to school at a college prep school where only the top 1% of the students in our state are able to attend.

Our doctor told her the same thing, essentially, as the clinic doctor and gave her a prescription for a knee brace. Now, if you are shopping for that kind of thing, this one is great. I had not noticed the type of brace before. This particular one has a metal brace inside the material on both sides of her knee and leg. It goes from about 7-8 inches below the knee to above the knee about the same amount. There is a hole placed for the knee in the material. It slides on and has velcro strips that keep it in place.

When we went into the doctor’s office, she could not place her weight on the knee. Too painful. The doctor said that she would be able to walk with the brace and without the crutches very soon. This brace is really great!! It has done the job for her. And her knee is not hurting nearly as bad as before. Bravo!!!

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There are times when I think that people have lost it completely. What am I talking about? Pets. I happen to have a catalog for pet products at home that is unbelievable in some of the things it offers. In fact, a large portion of the catalog is taken up with these pet products….clothing for dogs and cats. Have people lost their minds??? Has anyone truly looked at the animal that has to wear this getup? Most of them are totally miserable. There are a few who wear those items proudly but they are certainly in the minority.

How about giving animals as pets for Christmas? Now, I understand that parents want their child to have a great Christmas, get the pet they have wanted for x number of days, weeks or months. But have you thought about who is going to care for this animal? The reason I ask this is because, of course, you will get the all powerful…”I will. I will take care of the dog, I promise. Oh, please, please, please can I have one? I saw the most adorable dog walking down the street yesterday. Can I have him?

This child is going to promise the moon to get the dog he/she wants. When the shouting is done and the presents are unwrapped and broken, the dog will be peeing on your tree or the couch. The kid will be off playing the latest nintendo game and doesn’t care what the dog is doing at all. Are you really ready for this? Didn’t think so.

So, play it smart this time. Buy a gerbil. Raise the thing yourself. Teach the kid to be fascinated with the animal in the cage. When they won’t feed it, at least you have control of the food supply and water. Just don’t let the turning of the wheel bother you at night.

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